Expensive Mid drive or affordable hub drive ebike? Which is best for you?

Bike stores say you need a mid drive ebike if you are riding off road on hills and single track. I say BS, a good quality hub drive bike will do GREAT for 98% of riders. Fewer mechanical issues, more reliable, much cheaper, don't get suckered!

[@Ares0025]

What I can say is that I am completely satisfied with the Ranger so far I use it at least 6 days a week it's basically my car and after almost 3000 kilometres I have had almost zero problems with it besides some broken spokes which Cyrusher replaced very quick I changed the break pads after 2000 kilometres but nothing else the tires still look pretty good I would buy it again maybe I will buy the Trax next I like the idea of having two bikes with two similar batteries for bigger trips 😊

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Good plan, I'd love to have a spare battery! My Ranger is still my favorite bike by far, Cheers!

[@NOWitsOKto]

I usually don't comment on mountain bike channels, but as I'm waiting on FedEx to delivery bike no 6 I watch this and decided to comment. I own both mid and hub drives. Far and away the mid-drive is my favorite, but I'm about 99% sure most would get the correct reason. I personally find that the mid-drive uses far less battery than any of my hub drives. However, if I were to venture into mountain biking (fat chance at my age, being in my 8th decade on this rock), I'd choose a hub drive because of one drawback of a mid-drive that I want 0% chance of happening while on a trail in the middle of nowhere. That is a broken chain (yes I know you can get belt instead of chain, as I own one of those), at least with the hub I still have power where the mid-drive I'm F'd. Price, I absolutely agree with you there. If you get quality in, doesn't have to be a premium bike.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello and thanks for watching! 6th bike, sounds like we both have the same disorder! I agree with you completely about why to seriously consider a hub over a mid. I find it interesting that you get better battery life from a mid, I've found just the opposite and thus have added that to the negative column for mids. I just put out a video on the new hub drive that arrived since making this video. I think that bike has the potential to be exactly what many people are looking for in a sub $2k bike. Thanks for your comments! Cheers

[@courcheval]

I love the honest down to earth approach of your vids. This is indeed what most viewers are looking for, escaping the hype to find some kind of truth and coherence. When i was travelling around the world on motorcycles, the online community loved to show off they 1000cc plus super heavy bikes with hard paniers while i was travelling of a 350cc light bike with soft luggage and enjoyed it so much more (i could lift it alone). Keep the excellent job!

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Thank you very much, I appreciate you! I agree completely, I prefer to ride the back mountain passes on lighter more nimble motorcycles with minimal gear. I can't count the number of overloaded behemoth bikes I've helped to stand back up after their rider dumped it on a technical section. So many of these guys were told at the dealer that their 1000cc pig was the ultimate adventure bike. So many people think that big $$$ means the best machine for the situation when that simply isn't so. Cheers!

[@TheDavlavuk2000]

Another great and honest video. Followed you for a long time now and your video's inspired me to buy the Ranger . Had it just over a year now and done over 1700 miles on it trail riding for the majority of those miles. You mentioned a few videos back you were going to do a video on servicing the air forks you fitted to the Ranger i also have the same forks fitted to mine and just wondered when the video would be getting posted. Keep up the great and informative content with those stunning views...

[@demonocusmetalocus3558]

1 nice thing about hub drive is if you break your chain you can still use the throttle to get home or if the hub drive dies you can still pedal home.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Absolutely, that has saved me from a long walk a couple of times! Cheers

[@jamjar47]

What a Great video ! Highly interesting and i agree with everything you said Tom ! Hub Drive bikes are just as good as Mid Drive and just as much fun to ride ! As you mentioned most average person can't go a spend $8000 or more on a bike ,unless they are a top rider or in a team who supply the bike ,but also don't buy to cheap because in the end you might have to spend all the $$ you save on repairs ! I am going to watch out for your next video of this new e-bike you was talking about ,and because of your straight ahead honest video reviews i will take on board what you say ! Thanks Tom :)

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Thank you so much for following my videos! Ride safe!

[@jeanmarc_in_Hudson]

Am I wrong in thinking that most hub drive e-bikes have a throttle and thus don’t qualify as Class 1 e-mtb? I totally agree that high-end e-mtbs are for the competitive crowd and pricing is way out of wack, fortunately there are more and more excellent quality Class 1 mid-drive bikes for the normal Joes (like me). Nice video, love your trails! 😊

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Thank you very much, I appreciate you watching! You are correct that most all hub drives come stock with a throttle. But to make these ebikes class 1 compliant all you have to do is remove the throttle and set your program to limit the speed to 20mph. That keeps the park rangers happy and all is good. You can of course go faster than 20mph on down hills as any regular bike would do. Many of the state parks near me set the speed limit at 14 mph (like where this video was filmed). I received a new hub drive ebike yesterday and will be uploading videos showing what it can do. I'll go over these very points and show how the bike performs off road. If you're interested in seeing that please subscribe to the channel! Ride safe!

[@georgekrpan3181]

Hubs spin faster than cranks, therefore a hub motor is running at a higher RPM than a mid drive motor, which is better for power and efficiency. My 750w Bafang hub feels as strong as my 1500w Bafang BBSHD mid drive.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Absolutely right George, that has been my experience too. Cheers

[@georgekrpan3181]

@@lifebehindbarz60 The BBSHD will make more power if you wind the snot out of it in a low gear but then pedaling is useless. Cheers!

[@GarysE-BikeAdventures]

I would do a Hub motor for single trail but would want it with a torque sensor. Thanks for the video

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Absolutely Gary, a torque sensor is a must. I wouldn't even consider a bike with the old fashioned cadence sensor. Fortunately the cadence sensors only seem to come on the cheapest entry level bikes these days. Cheers

[@-meganeura]

I got my mid drive for 3200 euros, full Rockshox, Yari fork and shock, Bafang m620, dropper seatpost , 4 piston brakes by Tektro , fast charger . Pretty good deal.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello, that is a pretty good deal on a m620 mid drive. I have one of those too because I wanted the most powerful mid drive I could get. My bike costs around $4500 US, and I can't say I have any more fun on it than my MUCH less expensive hub drives. I'm definitely faster on my hub drive bikes and my mid drive uses more battery so less range. I've test rode several of the 250w and 500w mid drives and they just don't have the punch that I'm looking for in a off road ebike. Cheers

[@-meganeura]

@@lifebehindbarz60 Yes, hub motors have their advantages / pros, like much less maintenance required, reliable af, great top speed, usually very quiet, no wear to transmission (chain, sprockets), comparing to mid drives, but mid drives have their advantages too like, much easier to remove rear wheel for repairs, much better centre of balance while jumping and cornering, definitely better for aggressive riding, easier to pedal without battery power, also climbs much better because of gearing. Efficiency varies too much depending on terrain and rider. A rider that can manage the gears well on a mid drive, will take the advantage on technical climbs, and because it doesn't have the weight of the motor on the rear wheel, it is much more agile downhill.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

@@-meganeura Absolutely right on all points. If you are an aggressive upper level rider you will definitely gravitate towards the mid drive. I am not that type of rider, just a solid recreational mountain biker, so the hub drives do extremely well for me and I have a great time with them on the trails. I just hope to make the point that an average skill emtb rider shouldn't get suckered in to spending more on a bike than they need to. Cheers

[@-meganeura]

@@lifebehindbarz60 100% having fun cycling in the nature and exploring while getting a nice exercise is what this all about. Cheers, happy rides!

[@bassw1758]

Two of my hubs are pretty good in the woods, they will smoke most mid drives.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Yup, I agree. I'm definitely faster on my hub drives than I am on my mid drives! Cheers

[@bassw1758]

@@lifebehindbarz60 I don't think they are all the same, think the wind has something to do with it. One of my motors is only a 500w, won't go faster than 26 mph, but from zero to about 13, has more torque than my 1, 000w bafang hub. I know on the Bafang hubs one of the numbers in the model number indicates the wind. My Bafang has a 6.5 in the model #, has more torque than a lot of other motors , but no matter how much voltage you put to it 31 seems to be as fast as it'll go, it will never do 35 or 37 mph like I've seen some of them do.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

@@bassw1758 for sure, there are huge differences between motors. I've had some that on paper looked very good but didn't have much in the way of power or speed. I would recommend that anyone looking for a bike should go to their local ebike dealers (if they have one) and ride some different bikes. Just from messing with my bikes I've come to the conclusion that power and top speed have more to do with the controller and that there are even differences between controllers with the same numbers. So many variables with these things!

[@fredericvidal1262]

Bonjour, belle vidéo, question vous préférez lequel, le ranger ou le nitro, merci d'avance

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello, my favorite bike is the Ranger. It rides so well on the trails once the mods are done to it and it is definitely faster than the Nitro. Cheers

[@fredericvidal1262]

Ok merci pour ta réponse, pourtant le moteur du nitro est plus puissant 160nm, et quelles modifications as-tu fait sur le ranger ?

[@lifebehindbarz60]

@@fredericvidal1262 Hello, I have several videos showing the mods I have made to the Ranger. If you subscribe to my channel you will be able to see all my videos and the changes made. Yes, on paper the Nitro looks as if it would be faster and outclimb the Nitro, but that is not the case. The Ranger is quicker for sure, and for me just a better fit (larger frame). I use both bikes on the same trails and they both do well, but the Ranger is my favorite.

[@fredericvidal1262]

Ok merci je m'abonne, j'ai un lankeleisi mg740 plus bimoteur, "frédo vélo " sur KZbin, et je voudrais changer ma fourche pour une mieux, est-ce que tu sais laquelle prendre, merci

[@lifebehindbarz60]

@@fredericvidal1262 Nice! A dual motor bike has got to be fun.... I've never ridden one. Ride safe!

[@MetalFreaken007]

I want to buy a cyrusher but the same time i feel like its a gamble, since its not based in my country, and i have heard some very bad stories about them not honor warranty? i need to order it from germany to get it shipped to me, but some say they will not help or anything, others say they will, other thing i have heard is they delete bad reviews to look good, so im conflicted, i did find a bike company in my country that makes fat tire e bikes around the same price at the ranger, do they look as cool? no. but i know for sure i will get warranty and i can just call them if i have any issues in my language and not emailing someone that can barely speak english. idk. this is not hating the bikes look awesome, im just conflicted with the company behind it, same goes with Eng We.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello and thanks for your comments! I completely understand your situation, the vast majority of ebikes available today are through online sales, you don't get the opportunity to look them over in person before you buy. If I had a choice between buying a bike I could put my hands on at a shop and test ride vs an online buy, I'd always go for the in person buy. As for the Ranger and Cyrusher in general I can tell you this from personal experience; The Ranger has been a fantastic bike for me. I have over 1500 hard trail miles on the bike and it has never broken or had any issues whatsoever. I have also found their customer service to be helpful once I was able to convey what it was I was asking about (yes, the language barrier is a real thing). I have reviewed several bikes for Cyrusher and have many videos, I haven't always loved everything about their bikes (their forks being #1 complaint), but I have never had them ask me to take anything down. I'm happy to say that in 2024 there seems to be increase in affordable bikes with much better component groups. You can now get a well made and designed frame (almost all are made in China or Taiwan because that where all the big frame manufacturers are located, Hell even Trek, Specialized, and Giant are made there). Bikes are coming with much better suspension that is good enough that you don't have to immediately replace it with an upgrade. Better quality brakes and shifters. The e-bike industry is definitely heading in the right direction and to be competitive manufacturers are going to have to start providing a better product for the same price. My personal opinion after riding a few of the Engwe products is to keep looking, there are much better choices out there for the same money. Have fun shopping and don't buy until you find just the right bike, if you get a good one the first time you'll be hooked for life! Cheers.

[@MetalFreaken007]

@@lifebehindbarz60 Hi Thanks for your reply! I watch all your videos all the time, they are great, love the landscape and your knowledge of bikes really helps me learn, i had a engwe bike before but i got rid of it, because it was so poor quality, and yes i know most frames are made in china, hell even the motor from this e bike company in my country use bafang motors as well, its a great motor, its just the warranty issue for me that's a deal breaker. even if i wont get a cyrusher i will still enjoy your videos! keep making them, i cant remember if you have done 1 video were you show how to clean an ebike the correct way. thanks again! take care

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hi MF, happy the videos have some useful info for you! I completely understand your warranty concern with any online purchase. Lots of people think it's worth it to pay a little extra to a local shop to get a bike that comes fully assembled and that they will warranty and fix quickly. Hopefully it will never break and will never be an issue. I do go over a bit of my cleaning process in the video titled something like "get your bike ready for spring". Cheers

[@heckerplays8579]

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